


This Christmas

by alafaye



Series: 2017 December works [82]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 22:06:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13199523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: A botched mission on Christmas; James can fix this, at least temporarily.





	This Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> This is for day 30 of the '31 days of Bond' on tumblr and the prompt 'toast' and 'Yule feast' at adventdrabbles.

James frowned when he walked back into Q branch. He'd only left half an hour ago to pick up their dinner -- take away for Christmas dinner; so much for the Yule feast he'd planned -- but it had gone dark and silent in those thirty minutes. Most of the branch had left; only the skeleton crew remained for the few missions needing them. James had long thought that with the different time zones, Q branch would always be busy. Only recently had he realized how wrong he was. Missions were organized around British time -- left over colonial nonsense he suspected -- with only a few taking place in the British night time if it required it.

Still, the quiet would help, he thought.

One mission gone wrong in the wrong place and they'd not only lost an agent, but several months of intel gathering and several soldiers as well. Other soldiers were now hostages. 

It was not a good day, let alone feeling like Christmas.

The decorations around the branch were almost mocking now.

He didn't knock when he entered Q's office, but his breach of etiquette went unnoticed. It had not been Q's fault and yet his boffin had taken on so much guilt. James knew how doubts and thoughts could plague you after a mission gone so wrong. He took a deep breath and set up their dinner at the small table by the sofa.

"Q?" he called.

The young man blinked and took a deep breath. "James?" He frowned. "What's this?"

James smiled and held out his hand. "It's Christmas."

Q shook his head. "I don't feel like eating."

James picked up the beer he'd brought. "We could start with these? A toast that we did save someone today."

Q huffed. "Saved who? We lost ten men today because --"

"Of nothing you did or didn't do," James argued. "The boffin in charge of that mission should've alerted his superior or even you before it got that out of hand. _It wasn't your fault._ But once you knew, thirty men were saved instead."

Q took the beer, but didn't drink. "James. I..."

James pulled Q up out of his seat and loosely held him with one arm. "You'll get through this."

Q closed his eyes and leaned his head until their foreheads were touching. "I don't know if I can."

"Then lean on me until you can."

Q sniffed.

James held him all night, even as they slept awkwardly on the sofa in the office. It was the least he could do.


End file.
